Meetu Bisht's book, “To the Beginning of the End of Karma”, unpacks one of India's most well-known but often misunderstood concepts. Drawing on her upbringing in the Indian Himalayas and years of teaching spiritual philosophy, she redefines Karma not as a system of fate or punishment, but as a living process we can understand and change. By doing so, she argues, we can break free from repeating the same painful life patterns. With Asian Voice, Meetu talks about the complexities and layers of Karma and how her book incorporates the concept.
Karma: More than just action and reaction
Bisht challenges the conventional and pop-culture view of Karma as simple justice or retribution. She explains that this is only partially true, as it restricts our understanding and keeps us in fear consciousness. Instead, she posits that “Karma is an opportunity to awaken, identify, and understand the ego." It's a mirror that reflects our unaddressed tendencies and soul impressions, or sanskars, which drive our actions. "Karma doesn’t end at the experience of the consequences of one’s deeds," she says, "It ends with the eradication of the specific tendency or energy that caused the deed." The purpose of Karma isn't to punish but to create ego awareness and help us restore our higher, egoless self. When we see Karma as a hard knock on the human ego, we can begin to understand and transform the patterns that lead to suffering.
The counterintuitive power of charity
When it comes to practical tools for healing Karmic patterns, Bisht offers a surprising insight: charity. She argues that this simple act can be more effective than prayer or meditation in resolving both financial and health Karma. According to Bisht, our challenges in these areas aren't due to external factors like luck or other people but are rooted in past-life patterns and tendencies.
Healing begins with humility and the acceptance that we may be responsible for our current situation. Bisht emphasises that while past-life impressions might attract painful experiences, we still have the power to change the script. For relationship Karma, the key is to realise that these connections aren't random; they are soul agreements to heal past Karma. The healing comes not from changing the other person but from dropping our own egoic patterns, such as expectations and attachments, which raises our frequency and breaks the cycle.
Ancient wisdom for modern mental health
Bisht connects modern mental health challenges such as anxiety, insecurity, and negative thinking directly to an inflated ego and the heavy burden of one's subconscious storage. This storage contains unsettling egoistic tendencies like guilt, anger, and fear, which she refers in her book as "Maya". "Higher the ego, more the Karmic burden on the soul", she says.
She explains that Vedic philosophies, such as the Bhagavad Gita, provide a blueprint for overcoming these inner battles. The story of Arjuna, caught in fear and self-doubt on the battlefield, is a metaphor for our own struggles. Lord Krishna's wisdom exposes Arjuna's ego as the real enemy, teaching us that mental health challenges are an internal war that can be won through self-awareness and righteous action. The ancient texts are not just stories; they are a timeless guide for keeping our inner environment healthy.
The role of personal experience in wisdom
Bisht shares that her own upbringing in a strict environment, where her unconventional nature was misunderstood, led her to a deep-seated inner turmoil. This personal journey was a clash of egos, her own and those around her and the catalyst for her spiritual quest. Through Vedic astrology and self- discovery, she realised her strongest egoic tendencies were low self-esteem and attachment.
By working on these deficiencies, she was able to transform her relationship with herself and, in turn, with others. This personal experience became the foundation for her work as a Karma guide. "I could understand human nature in a positive way," she states. Her journey taught her that Karma ends at peace, and by disassociating from her own ego, she could help others pinpoint the ego as the true culprit behind their Karmic complexities.
Taking ownership of the inner world
The book’s core message is that the end of Karma begins with taking full responsibility for our inner world. This means shifting from an egoic self-driven by blame, judgment, and attachment to our spiritual self, which is peaceful, powerful, and accepting. Bisht explains that the first step is discomfort, not with an external situation, but with one's own internal response to it. The ego loves to blame others, but by probing our own reactions, we can identify when the ego is at play. The solution is to consciously step away from the mental noise and observe these ego-driven thoughts without judgment. "Simple observation and conscious distancing from the ego-driven self is the best way forward," she advises. This act of disidentification creates space, alters our frequency, and ultimately breaks the wheel of karma, allowing us to end the cycle of pain and suffering.
